Poetry Corner: Anonymous
Boy, does Anonymous put out a lot of good stuff …
It was a week ago today that a dear friend and sailor was lost at Elephant Butte Lake. For his fellow sailors and also for his family, this has been a very rough time. I generally hate the word "closure," as it gets so over-used, but in this case, that's the word that best describes what we're all waiting for. As the search continues, we're all in a sort of agonizing limbo.
A relative of mine posted a verse of poetry by Author Unknown on my Facebook wall that really captured what I felt. When I went on the Internet to find more about it, I found that the verse came from a longer poem, and there are dozens of variations on it out there. This is one that I like.
If Tears Could Build A Stairway
If tears could build a stairway
And memories were a lane
We would walk right up to heaven
And bring you back again
No farewell words were spoken
No time to say goodbye
You were gone before we knew it
And only God knows why
Our hearts still ache in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know
But now we know you want us
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store
Since you'll never be forgotten
We pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our hearts
Is where you'll always stay
Fair winds, Marty.
Labels: boats, friends, poetry, racing, team zorro
posted by Carol Anne | 11:41 AM
12 Comments:
So fitting a poem. I could not fit the whole thing on my post to you. Glad to see all of it and hope you are doing somewhat better. Strangely, a minty tea does help.
With all due respect to this period of mourning....
When something like this happens, the word needs to get out as to the circumstances of the accident. What kind of boat? J-24? Was there an emergency boarding ladder aboard? What were the weather conditions? Etc. That much is owed your wider sailing community.
Doc, I will be posting details of the accident later on. Right now, the whole thing is too raw, especially for the family.
For now, what I can say is that, with one exception, everybody involved did everything right -- sailors, race committee, park rangers, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and others. This incident should not have ended in tragedy.
Not to be too obvious about this, but when people are in mourning, it is difficult for them to focus on the particulars of a tragedy. Mourning cannot be rushed.
Doc, perhaps you should check with the authorities for the particulars you desire and or perhaps the authorities should be publishing details for the wider sailing community.
Living on the East Coast and having sailed a bit in my youth, I notice these tragic incidents in the news all the time and it takes a while for an investigation to be completed. In the meantime, people who are mourning should be given their space to do so.
Actually, the authorities haven't released many details yet, both because the investigation is not complete, and to protect the family and friends of the deceased. I plan to give details at the same time the authorities do.
We've already had problems with at least one television station putting out incorrect and hurtful information.
Fair winds Marty is right
Update: The family is planning a memorial service next Saturday. If the family will allow, I hope to be able to say a few words. Marty was a really special person. I'll copy those words here.
I can totally understand why now is not the time to blog about the details of the accident. Much better to let the official investigation complete its work and then report the findings. And I'm sure the last thing that the family and friends need right now is to have the event rehashed on the Internet.
Having said that, I do hope that eventually all of us can learn something from this unfortunate accident, so that we, or one of our friends, don't end up going the same way.
Stay strong.
Tillerman has that right.
The memorial service is this afternoon (May 15) at 2.
Sending good thoughts. Respect.
Good recepie, Carol Anne...and a truly epic piece of writing at the head of the blog. You mentioned the comfort derived from knowing that his departure was connected so closely with what he loved most, and those who shared that love. Incomplete, my dear conette. The true measure of the man was in his being such a wonderful man that he merited your writing gift as a tribute. We should all be so fortunate as to have people like this in our lives.
Regards,
Sky Pilot
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